Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Dental Sciences, 2019
BEHÇET HASTALIĞI VE ORAL ÜLSER ehçet hastalığı (BH); oral ve genital ülserler, cilt, göz, eklem, ... more BEHÇET HASTALIĞI VE ORAL ÜLSER ehçet hastalığı (BH); oral ve genital ülserler, cilt, göz, eklem, damar, nörolojik ve gastrointestinal tutulumla seyreden bir hastalıktır. Oral ve genital ülserler ile cilt tutulumu mukokutan tutulum olarak ta-1 1 1
OBJECTIVES To evaluate associations between salivary glands ultrasonography (SGUS) and clinical c... more OBJECTIVES To evaluate associations between salivary glands ultrasonography (SGUS) and clinical characteristics, disease activity and outcome in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS The parotid and submandibular salivary glands were examined by ultrasonography using two different scoring systems proposed by Hocevar et al. and Milic et al. on 85 pSS patients. Patients with inhomogeneity/hypoechoic areas with scores ≥2 in parotid and submandibular glands were classified as severe parotid or severe submandibular involvements, respectively. Disease activity and patient-reported severity were evaluated using the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) and the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). Salivary gland functional capacity was investigated by unstimulated whole saliva flow rate (U-WSFR). RESULTS Of the activity scores, ESSPRI dryness component was higher in pSS patients who...
Background:Diagnosing Behcet’s disease(BD) is a challenge, especially in countries with a low pre... more Background:Diagnosing Behcet’s disease(BD) is a challenge, especially in countries with a low prevalence. International Study Group Criteria, accepted to as diagnostic, has low sensitivity, especially in early cases when major organ involvement such as uveitis or deep vein thrombosis(DVT) presents alone. We recently published a controlled study of assessing venous wall thickness(VWT) as a surrogate marker of venous disease in BD with ultrasound(US) and observed a very sensitive and specific VWT in male BD patients. The common femoral vein(CFV) thickness measurement, as the primary site of US with the cut-off values > 0.48-0.49 mm, had a high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(>0.8) with sensitivity and specificity of around 80%(1).Objectives:In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of CVF thickness measurement in BD including females comparing with multiple control disease groups.Methods:One hundred-ten patients with BD, 47 healthy ...
Since oral ulcer is a common clinical manifestation, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)... more Since oral ulcer is a common clinical manifestation, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is affected by the presence of oral ulcer poorly in patients with Behcet’s disease (BD).The aim of the study was to examine associated factors for poor OHRQoL status to improve treatment outcomes in patients with BD.In this retrospective study, 339 BD patients (F/M: 179/160, mean age: 36,13±9,81 years) included. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire regarding treatment expectation, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire for OHRQoL, oral ulcer activity, and disease severity score. Treatment expectation was coded by a 5-point Likert type scale (1: symptoms were completely cured vs 5: symptoms were worsened). OHIP-14 score was between “0 point (the best score)” and “56 points (the worst score)”. The disease severity score was calculated according to the organ involvement. Then, patients were categorised as mucocutaneous involvement (n=181) and severe organ involv...
Background Atypical streptococcal infections (Streptoccocus Sanguis, Salivarius) are implicated i... more Background Atypical streptococcal infections (Streptoccocus Sanguis, Salivarius) are implicated in the pathogenesis of Behcet’s Disease (BD), a systemic vasculitis of unknown aetiology. Objectives This study aimed to investigate in mononuclear cell culture supernatants, in vitro cytokine responses to S. Sanguis in patients with BD compared to psoriasis (PS) and healthy controls (HC). Methods Twelve patients with BD (4F/8M, mean age: 33.6 years), 7 with PS (4F/3M, mean age: 38.2 years) and 10 HC (7F/3M, mean age: 27.5 years) were included in the study. IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ responses were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture supernatants by ELISA after 48 h stimulations with S. Sanguis (10 μg/ml) and PHA (20 μg/ml). Positive responses were defined as above mean+2SD of unstimulated samples from HC. Results Positive IL-10 responses to S. Sanguis were observed in 5/12 patients with BD (mean: 94 pg/ml), 2/7 with PS (76 pg/ml), and 3/10 with HC (57 pg/ml). IFN-γ response...
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate oral and general health-related quality of li... more OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate oral and general health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) disease. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 45 patients with FMF, 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC), and 50 patients with Behçet's disease (BD) as the disease control group were included. FMF disease activity was evaluated by using the FMF-severity score, as well as with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels. Oral health-related QoL and general QoL were evaluated using oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire 36 (SF-36), respectively. RESULTS Only the numbers of extracted teeth (4.13±4.72 vs. 1.55±3.6) and filled teeth (2.33±3.19 vs. 0.66±1.46) were significantly higher in FMF group compared to HC group (p=0.005 and p=0.013, respectively). OHIP-14 score was significantly higher in FMF and BD groups c...
Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic and inflammatory disorder mainly present along the ancien... more Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic and inflammatory disorder mainly present along the ancient Silk Road, from the Mediterranean to East Asia. A wide range of prevalence figures (0.1-420/100.000) are reported for BD, also among populations of similar ethnicity living in different countries. Recently, a decline of the incidence of BD and a change of the disease spectrum to less severe mucocutaneous manifestations is reported from Japan, a genetically homogenous, affluent population with limited immigration. Among environmental factors, a change in atopy/allergic disorders and a decline in infections are two possible mechanisms for this epidemiological change. A shift in Th1/Th2 immune balance towards Th2-associated immune responses are possible, however 'hygiene hypothesis' associated with this approach does not explain the recent trend of the increase in Th1-associated disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis in Western Countries. We hypothesis...
To investigate serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a complement-like protein of collect... more To investigate serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a complement-like protein of collectin family, in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). MBL levels were measured in sera of 130 patients with BD, 64 patients with recurrent oral ulcerations (ROU), and 105 healthy controls (HC) with ELISA. Patients with BD had significantly lower median serum MBL levels compared to HC (1857 vs 3136 ng/ml, p = 0.001). No significant difference was observed in median serum MBL levels between BD and ROU (2309 ng/ml, p = 0.252). Low MBL levels (</= 500 ng/ml) were present in a higher proportion of BD patients compared to HC (29% vs 16%, p = 0.021). A severe disease course (total clinical severity score >/= 4) was more frequently observed in BD patients with very low serum MBL levels (</= 100 ng/ml) (19% vs 6%, p = 0.046). When serum MBL levels were analyzed separately according to gender, the frequency of vascular disease was higher in men with very low serum MBL levels (80% vs 42%,...
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of oral lesions (OLs) i... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of oral lesions (OLs) in Turkish population. In this cross-sectional study, 765 residents (F/M: 375/390) were selected by the cluster sampling method and examined according to WHO criteria. Excessive melanin pigmentation (6.9%) was the most common lesion in the study population. The tongue lesions observed in this study were as follows: fissured tongue (5.2%), varices (4.1%), hairy tongue (3.8%), geographic tongue (1.0%), atrophic tongue papillae (0.7%) and ankyloglossia (0.3%). The denture-related lesions were denture stomatitis (4.3%), suction irritation (0.8%), denture hyperplasia and torus palatinus as bony lesion (0.5%) and traumatic ulcers (0.3%). In regression analysis, being 65 years old and over was found as a statistically significant risk factor for the occurrence of pigmentation, fissured tongue, varices, hairy tongue, denture stomatitis and petechiae (P &lt; 0.05). Pigmentation, fissured tongue and denture stomatitis were observed to be the most common lesions in Turkish population. Elderly population was a significant risk factor for occurrence of some OLs.
This study aimed to investigate oral and general health related quality of life (QoL) in patients... more This study aimed to investigate oral and general health related quality of life (QoL) in patients with Behçet&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Disease (BD) and to assess the performance of Turkish versions of oral health related quality questionnaires. Ninety-four BD patients, 24 patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), 113 healthy controls (HC) and 44 dental patients were investigated. QoL was assessed by oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14), oral health related quality of life (OHQoL) and short form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires. OHQoL, OHIP-14 and SF-36 subscale scores were significantly worse in patients with BD compared with those in HC (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Both OHIP-14 and OHQoL scores were significantly worse in active patients compared with inactives in BD and RAS (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Scores of SF-36 Role physical, Role emotional and Vitality were also lower in active patients than in inactives in BD (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Scores of OHIP-14 and OHQoL were significantly worse in patients treated with colchicine compared with those treated with immunosuppressives (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Both oral and general QoL was impaired in BD and associated with disease activity and treatment modalities. Translated Turkish versions of OHIP-14 and OHQoL were also observed to be valid and reliable questionnaires for further studies.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare oral health-related quality of life... more BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare oral health-related quality of life (oral QoL) in patients from UK and Turkey with Behcet's disease (BD). METHODS: Thirty-one BD patients from UK (F ⁄ M: 18 ⁄ 13, mean age: 41.8 ± 11.5 years) and Turkey (F ⁄ M: 18 ⁄ 13, mean age: 41.5 ± 10.3) who were matched according to age and gender were included in the study. All patients had active oral ulcers. Oral QoL was assessed by Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Oral health was evaluated by dental and periodontal indices. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in OHIP-14 scores between patients from UK (22.7 ± 14.4) and Turkey (20.4 ± 14.3) (P = 0.709). The OHIP-14 score correlated with the healing time of oral ulcers in UK (r = 0.4, P = 0.04) and the number of oral ulcers in Turkey (r = 0.4, P = 0.012). The number of oral ulcers per month was significantly higher in UK (3.3 ± 2.8) compared with that in Turkey (1.5 ± 2.5) (P = 0.014). However, the number of filled teeth and frequency of tooth brushing were significantly lower in patients from Turkey compared with those in UK (P = 0.000). Similarly, the duration since the last dental visit (5.1 ± 7.2 months) was significantly lower in UK compared with that in Turkey (28.6 ± 23.7 months) (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Oral QoL was similar in patients from UK and Turkey with active oral ulcers. However, the number of oral ulcers was observed to be higher in UK. As expected, a lower utilization rate of dental services might have led to a poorer oral health in patients from Turkey.
In this cross-sectional study, a randomly selected group of dentists (n = 855) from nine province... more In this cross-sectional study, a randomly selected group of dentists (n = 855) from nine provinces of Turkey were interviewed for their levels of intrinsic, extrinsic, and overall job satisfaction. The proportion of overall job satisfaction was computed as the proportion of dentists who had mean general satisfaction scores 4 on a 5-point, Likert-type scale and was found to be 40.8% for the sample as a whole. The significant factors that affected overall satisfaction were age, the type of social insurance possessed, income level, the presence of dental auxiliaries, and the number of patients examined per day. Multivariate analysis of the data revealed that the type of social insurance, the amount of monthly income, and the number of patients examined per day were the most common and statistically significant predictors of intrinsic, extrinsic, and overall satisfaction in Turkish dentists.
OBJECTIVES The need to include patients' perspectives as key outcomes in clinical trials is w... more OBJECTIVES The need to include patients' perspectives as key outcomes in clinical trials is widely accepted. No disease-specific patient-reported outcomes have been developed in Takayasu's arteritis. This project was designed to identify outcomes of importance to patients with Takayasu's arteritis during active disease and remission across 2 different cultures. METHODS Patients with Takayasu's arteritis from the US and Turkey were recruited to participate in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews or focus groups. The interviews and group sessions were recorded, transcribed, and entered into an Nvivo database. A line-by-line review of narrative data was used to develop themes describing the impact of Takayasu's arteritis on patients' life. US Patients were invited to freelist terms that they associated with disease states (active disease and remission). The Smith's Salience Index (SSI) was used to identify the most salient terms. RESULTS Results. A total o...
Introduction: Nowadays, potential patients surf the internet to check the websites of health care... more Introduction: Nowadays, potential patients surf the internet to check the websites of health care organizations to select the most suitable health organization for their needs within the perspective of health tourism. To this effect, dental health tourism as a subset of health tourism is considered to be a developing sector. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess whether websites are effectively used as media tools by dental health care organizations, which serve as currently active as well as promising components of health tourism in Turkey. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 555 websites of dental health care organizations were examined. Web pages were evaluated by using E-Information Quality Scale of the Health Centre. A low score indicates well-designed websites. Results: Scores related to "contact information" and "website layout" were lower in the private ones (n:146) than the public institutions (n:409)(p=0.000, p=0.011). It was observed that 80.8% (n:122) of the websites with foreign language options (n:151), were private institutions); whereas, public institutions only constitute 19.2% (n:29) of the total. All subgroup scores in the scale were lower in the organizations offering foreign language alternatives in contrast to the ones without foreign language options (p<0.05). Conclusion: In private dental health care organizations," contact information" and "website layout" of websites were observed to be the most prominent features in the conduct of public relations activities. Websites with foreign language alternatives were well-designed due to the fact that language options were considered to be an incentive for the health tourists.
889 6/46 (13%), p=0.423]. In the negative conversion group, the number of patients diagnosed with... more 889 6/46 (13%), p=0.423]. In the negative conversion group, the number of patients diagnosed with SLE was significantly higher than the control group [SLE, 3/14 (21%) vs. 1/46 (2%), p=0.036]. However, thrombosis had recurred in one out of three patients with SLE. Conclusions: The cumulative incidence of thrombotic events was not significantly different between negative conversion group and control group.
There is an unmet need for reliable, validated, and widely accepted outcomes and outcome measures... more There is an unmet need for reliable, validated, and widely accepted outcomes and outcome measures for use in clinical trials in Behçet syndrome (BS). Our report summarizes initial steps taken by the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) vasculitis working group toward developing a core set of outcome measures for BS according to the OMERACT methodology, including the OMERACT Filter 2.0, and discussions during the first meeting of the BS working group held during OMERACT 12 (2014). During OMERACT 12, some of the important challenges in developing outcomes for BS were outlined and discussed, and a research agenda was drafted. Among topics discussed were the advantages and disadvantages of a composite measure for BS that evaluates several organs/organ systems; bringing patients and physicians together for discussions about how to assess disease activity; use of organ-specific measures developed for other diseases; and the inclusion of generic, disease-specific, or organ-specific m...
Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Dental Sciences, 2019
BEHÇET HASTALIĞI VE ORAL ÜLSER ehçet hastalığı (BH); oral ve genital ülserler, cilt, göz, eklem, ... more BEHÇET HASTALIĞI VE ORAL ÜLSER ehçet hastalığı (BH); oral ve genital ülserler, cilt, göz, eklem, damar, nörolojik ve gastrointestinal tutulumla seyreden bir hastalıktır. Oral ve genital ülserler ile cilt tutulumu mukokutan tutulum olarak ta-1 1 1
OBJECTIVES To evaluate associations between salivary glands ultrasonography (SGUS) and clinical c... more OBJECTIVES To evaluate associations between salivary glands ultrasonography (SGUS) and clinical characteristics, disease activity and outcome in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS The parotid and submandibular salivary glands were examined by ultrasonography using two different scoring systems proposed by Hocevar et al. and Milic et al. on 85 pSS patients. Patients with inhomogeneity/hypoechoic areas with scores ≥2 in parotid and submandibular glands were classified as severe parotid or severe submandibular involvements, respectively. Disease activity and patient-reported severity were evaluated using the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) and the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). Salivary gland functional capacity was investigated by unstimulated whole saliva flow rate (U-WSFR). RESULTS Of the activity scores, ESSPRI dryness component was higher in pSS patients who...
Background:Diagnosing Behcet’s disease(BD) is a challenge, especially in countries with a low pre... more Background:Diagnosing Behcet’s disease(BD) is a challenge, especially in countries with a low prevalence. International Study Group Criteria, accepted to as diagnostic, has low sensitivity, especially in early cases when major organ involvement such as uveitis or deep vein thrombosis(DVT) presents alone. We recently published a controlled study of assessing venous wall thickness(VWT) as a surrogate marker of venous disease in BD with ultrasound(US) and observed a very sensitive and specific VWT in male BD patients. The common femoral vein(CFV) thickness measurement, as the primary site of US with the cut-off values > 0.48-0.49 mm, had a high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(>0.8) with sensitivity and specificity of around 80%(1).Objectives:In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of CVF thickness measurement in BD including females comparing with multiple control disease groups.Methods:One hundred-ten patients with BD, 47 healthy ...
Since oral ulcer is a common clinical manifestation, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)... more Since oral ulcer is a common clinical manifestation, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is affected by the presence of oral ulcer poorly in patients with Behcet’s disease (BD).The aim of the study was to examine associated factors for poor OHRQoL status to improve treatment outcomes in patients with BD.In this retrospective study, 339 BD patients (F/M: 179/160, mean age: 36,13±9,81 years) included. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire regarding treatment expectation, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire for OHRQoL, oral ulcer activity, and disease severity score. Treatment expectation was coded by a 5-point Likert type scale (1: symptoms were completely cured vs 5: symptoms were worsened). OHIP-14 score was between “0 point (the best score)” and “56 points (the worst score)”. The disease severity score was calculated according to the organ involvement. Then, patients were categorised as mucocutaneous involvement (n=181) and severe organ involv...
Background Atypical streptococcal infections (Streptoccocus Sanguis, Salivarius) are implicated i... more Background Atypical streptococcal infections (Streptoccocus Sanguis, Salivarius) are implicated in the pathogenesis of Behcet’s Disease (BD), a systemic vasculitis of unknown aetiology. Objectives This study aimed to investigate in mononuclear cell culture supernatants, in vitro cytokine responses to S. Sanguis in patients with BD compared to psoriasis (PS) and healthy controls (HC). Methods Twelve patients with BD (4F/8M, mean age: 33.6 years), 7 with PS (4F/3M, mean age: 38.2 years) and 10 HC (7F/3M, mean age: 27.5 years) were included in the study. IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ responses were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture supernatants by ELISA after 48 h stimulations with S. Sanguis (10 μg/ml) and PHA (20 μg/ml). Positive responses were defined as above mean+2SD of unstimulated samples from HC. Results Positive IL-10 responses to S. Sanguis were observed in 5/12 patients with BD (mean: 94 pg/ml), 2/7 with PS (76 pg/ml), and 3/10 with HC (57 pg/ml). IFN-γ response...
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate oral and general health-related quality of li... more OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate oral and general health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) disease. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 45 patients with FMF, 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC), and 50 patients with Behçet's disease (BD) as the disease control group were included. FMF disease activity was evaluated by using the FMF-severity score, as well as with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels. Oral health-related QoL and general QoL were evaluated using oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire 36 (SF-36), respectively. RESULTS Only the numbers of extracted teeth (4.13±4.72 vs. 1.55±3.6) and filled teeth (2.33±3.19 vs. 0.66±1.46) were significantly higher in FMF group compared to HC group (p=0.005 and p=0.013, respectively). OHIP-14 score was significantly higher in FMF and BD groups c...
Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic and inflammatory disorder mainly present along the ancien... more Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic and inflammatory disorder mainly present along the ancient Silk Road, from the Mediterranean to East Asia. A wide range of prevalence figures (0.1-420/100.000) are reported for BD, also among populations of similar ethnicity living in different countries. Recently, a decline of the incidence of BD and a change of the disease spectrum to less severe mucocutaneous manifestations is reported from Japan, a genetically homogenous, affluent population with limited immigration. Among environmental factors, a change in atopy/allergic disorders and a decline in infections are two possible mechanisms for this epidemiological change. A shift in Th1/Th2 immune balance towards Th2-associated immune responses are possible, however 'hygiene hypothesis' associated with this approach does not explain the recent trend of the increase in Th1-associated disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis in Western Countries. We hypothesis...
To investigate serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a complement-like protein of collect... more To investigate serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a complement-like protein of collectin family, in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). MBL levels were measured in sera of 130 patients with BD, 64 patients with recurrent oral ulcerations (ROU), and 105 healthy controls (HC) with ELISA. Patients with BD had significantly lower median serum MBL levels compared to HC (1857 vs 3136 ng/ml, p = 0.001). No significant difference was observed in median serum MBL levels between BD and ROU (2309 ng/ml, p = 0.252). Low MBL levels (</= 500 ng/ml) were present in a higher proportion of BD patients compared to HC (29% vs 16%, p = 0.021). A severe disease course (total clinical severity score >/= 4) was more frequently observed in BD patients with very low serum MBL levels (</= 100 ng/ml) (19% vs 6%, p = 0.046). When serum MBL levels were analyzed separately according to gender, the frequency of vascular disease was higher in men with very low serum MBL levels (80% vs 42%,...
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of oral lesions (OLs) i... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of oral lesions (OLs) in Turkish population. In this cross-sectional study, 765 residents (F/M: 375/390) were selected by the cluster sampling method and examined according to WHO criteria. Excessive melanin pigmentation (6.9%) was the most common lesion in the study population. The tongue lesions observed in this study were as follows: fissured tongue (5.2%), varices (4.1%), hairy tongue (3.8%), geographic tongue (1.0%), atrophic tongue papillae (0.7%) and ankyloglossia (0.3%). The denture-related lesions were denture stomatitis (4.3%), suction irritation (0.8%), denture hyperplasia and torus palatinus as bony lesion (0.5%) and traumatic ulcers (0.3%). In regression analysis, being 65 years old and over was found as a statistically significant risk factor for the occurrence of pigmentation, fissured tongue, varices, hairy tongue, denture stomatitis and petechiae (P &lt; 0.05). Pigmentation, fissured tongue and denture stomatitis were observed to be the most common lesions in Turkish population. Elderly population was a significant risk factor for occurrence of some OLs.
This study aimed to investigate oral and general health related quality of life (QoL) in patients... more This study aimed to investigate oral and general health related quality of life (QoL) in patients with Behçet&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Disease (BD) and to assess the performance of Turkish versions of oral health related quality questionnaires. Ninety-four BD patients, 24 patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), 113 healthy controls (HC) and 44 dental patients were investigated. QoL was assessed by oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14), oral health related quality of life (OHQoL) and short form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires. OHQoL, OHIP-14 and SF-36 subscale scores were significantly worse in patients with BD compared with those in HC (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Both OHIP-14 and OHQoL scores were significantly worse in active patients compared with inactives in BD and RAS (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Scores of SF-36 Role physical, Role emotional and Vitality were also lower in active patients than in inactives in BD (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Scores of OHIP-14 and OHQoL were significantly worse in patients treated with colchicine compared with those treated with immunosuppressives (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Both oral and general QoL was impaired in BD and associated with disease activity and treatment modalities. Translated Turkish versions of OHIP-14 and OHQoL were also observed to be valid and reliable questionnaires for further studies.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare oral health-related quality of life... more BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare oral health-related quality of life (oral QoL) in patients from UK and Turkey with Behcet's disease (BD). METHODS: Thirty-one BD patients from UK (F ⁄ M: 18 ⁄ 13, mean age: 41.8 ± 11.5 years) and Turkey (F ⁄ M: 18 ⁄ 13, mean age: 41.5 ± 10.3) who were matched according to age and gender were included in the study. All patients had active oral ulcers. Oral QoL was assessed by Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Oral health was evaluated by dental and periodontal indices. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in OHIP-14 scores between patients from UK (22.7 ± 14.4) and Turkey (20.4 ± 14.3) (P = 0.709). The OHIP-14 score correlated with the healing time of oral ulcers in UK (r = 0.4, P = 0.04) and the number of oral ulcers in Turkey (r = 0.4, P = 0.012). The number of oral ulcers per month was significantly higher in UK (3.3 ± 2.8) compared with that in Turkey (1.5 ± 2.5) (P = 0.014). However, the number of filled teeth and frequency of tooth brushing were significantly lower in patients from Turkey compared with those in UK (P = 0.000). Similarly, the duration since the last dental visit (5.1 ± 7.2 months) was significantly lower in UK compared with that in Turkey (28.6 ± 23.7 months) (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Oral QoL was similar in patients from UK and Turkey with active oral ulcers. However, the number of oral ulcers was observed to be higher in UK. As expected, a lower utilization rate of dental services might have led to a poorer oral health in patients from Turkey.
In this cross-sectional study, a randomly selected group of dentists (n = 855) from nine province... more In this cross-sectional study, a randomly selected group of dentists (n = 855) from nine provinces of Turkey were interviewed for their levels of intrinsic, extrinsic, and overall job satisfaction. The proportion of overall job satisfaction was computed as the proportion of dentists who had mean general satisfaction scores 4 on a 5-point, Likert-type scale and was found to be 40.8% for the sample as a whole. The significant factors that affected overall satisfaction were age, the type of social insurance possessed, income level, the presence of dental auxiliaries, and the number of patients examined per day. Multivariate analysis of the data revealed that the type of social insurance, the amount of monthly income, and the number of patients examined per day were the most common and statistically significant predictors of intrinsic, extrinsic, and overall satisfaction in Turkish dentists.
OBJECTIVES The need to include patients' perspectives as key outcomes in clinical trials is w... more OBJECTIVES The need to include patients' perspectives as key outcomes in clinical trials is widely accepted. No disease-specific patient-reported outcomes have been developed in Takayasu's arteritis. This project was designed to identify outcomes of importance to patients with Takayasu's arteritis during active disease and remission across 2 different cultures. METHODS Patients with Takayasu's arteritis from the US and Turkey were recruited to participate in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews or focus groups. The interviews and group sessions were recorded, transcribed, and entered into an Nvivo database. A line-by-line review of narrative data was used to develop themes describing the impact of Takayasu's arteritis on patients' life. US Patients were invited to freelist terms that they associated with disease states (active disease and remission). The Smith's Salience Index (SSI) was used to identify the most salient terms. RESULTS Results. A total o...
Introduction: Nowadays, potential patients surf the internet to check the websites of health care... more Introduction: Nowadays, potential patients surf the internet to check the websites of health care organizations to select the most suitable health organization for their needs within the perspective of health tourism. To this effect, dental health tourism as a subset of health tourism is considered to be a developing sector. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess whether websites are effectively used as media tools by dental health care organizations, which serve as currently active as well as promising components of health tourism in Turkey. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 555 websites of dental health care organizations were examined. Web pages were evaluated by using E-Information Quality Scale of the Health Centre. A low score indicates well-designed websites. Results: Scores related to "contact information" and "website layout" were lower in the private ones (n:146) than the public institutions (n:409)(p=0.000, p=0.011). It was observed that 80.8% (n:122) of the websites with foreign language options (n:151), were private institutions); whereas, public institutions only constitute 19.2% (n:29) of the total. All subgroup scores in the scale were lower in the organizations offering foreign language alternatives in contrast to the ones without foreign language options (p<0.05). Conclusion: In private dental health care organizations," contact information" and "website layout" of websites were observed to be the most prominent features in the conduct of public relations activities. Websites with foreign language alternatives were well-designed due to the fact that language options were considered to be an incentive for the health tourists.
889 6/46 (13%), p=0.423]. In the negative conversion group, the number of patients diagnosed with... more 889 6/46 (13%), p=0.423]. In the negative conversion group, the number of patients diagnosed with SLE was significantly higher than the control group [SLE, 3/14 (21%) vs. 1/46 (2%), p=0.036]. However, thrombosis had recurred in one out of three patients with SLE. Conclusions: The cumulative incidence of thrombotic events was not significantly different between negative conversion group and control group.
There is an unmet need for reliable, validated, and widely accepted outcomes and outcome measures... more There is an unmet need for reliable, validated, and widely accepted outcomes and outcome measures for use in clinical trials in Behçet syndrome (BS). Our report summarizes initial steps taken by the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) vasculitis working group toward developing a core set of outcome measures for BS according to the OMERACT methodology, including the OMERACT Filter 2.0, and discussions during the first meeting of the BS working group held during OMERACT 12 (2014). During OMERACT 12, some of the important challenges in developing outcomes for BS were outlined and discussed, and a research agenda was drafted. Among topics discussed were the advantages and disadvantages of a composite measure for BS that evaluates several organs/organ systems; bringing patients and physicians together for discussions about how to assess disease activity; use of organ-specific measures developed for other diseases; and the inclusion of generic, disease-specific, or organ-specific m...
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Papers by G. Mumcu